Grilled Chimichurri Shrimp Skewers

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I’m all about easy, light and fresh dinners. Especially in summer. That’s why I freaking love a good grilled meal. And although proper grilling isn’t the easiest when you live in a 4th floor walk up, you make due because – IT’S SUMMER.

I recently discovered how obsessed I am with chimichurri sauce (which is kinda like a spicy, acidic, herbaceous pesto?) It’s so fresh and light and great to put on grilled things. Alas, this recipe was born!

If you aren’t into shrimp or seafood, you can just make the veggies or sub tofu or chicken or steak or whatever you want. And if you don’t like one of the veggies on the skewer – change it up! This recipe is totally customizable, and incredibly delicious. I know what I’m going to be making again and again this summer!

Assemble your skewers by adding shrimp, mushrooms, bell pepper, and pineapple to metal or wooden skewers. (If using wooden skewers, soak them in water for at least 10 minutes before assembling.)

Place your skewers into a pan where they can lay flat. Pour half of your chimichurri marinade over the skewers and let marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat your grill over medium-high heat. Add your skewers, cover for 2-3 minutes. Flip skewers over and grill until shrimp are pink, and the veggies have char marks.

Remove skewers and pour 1/4 of remaining chimichurri marinade over the skewers.

Remove shrimp and veggies from skewers, squeeze lime over, and eat alone or with tortillas.

EAT UP.

My friend Lily of Kale & Caramel started the hashtag #honestinsta it’s all about sharing the real life things happening behind the facade of our social media. So here goes my #honestinsta confession for this recipe/photoshoot… I don’t own a real grill (I live in NYC and have no outdoor space besides the street!). So I use a grill pan to grill everything. BUT that grill pan was my grandmothers and it’s very old and makes my whole home smokey. So while I’m grilling these skewers, I have to have every fan on, my door open, and someone helping to fan the fire alarm just to make sure the sprinklers don’t turn on! It’s a stressful production.

Not everything you see in a photo is real, and usually it tells about 30% of the real story behind it. It’s a good thing to remember when you are feeling like a mess in your own kitchen or your own life – we all feel like that sometimes. And even if I take beautiful photos of my food, it doesn’t mean that my kitchen isn’t as much of a mess as yours (or even more!)

I recently asked people on Instagram how much of their life they shared on social media and how much time they spent on social media. The answers were so so interesting. Most people averaged around 30% of their life that they shared on social media. That’s not a lot. That’s a tiny amount of the full life we live. But the really interesting number was the answer to “how much time do you spend on social media?” Most people responded : “TOO MUCH.” Some specified that to mean 2-3 hours.

Do you see what I see here? We’re spending “too much” time comparing ourselves and making judgements about FRACTIONS of people’s lives. There is so much more beneath the surface. There is so much more to a human than the image we present. (Everyone has a messy kitchen behind it all.)

And everyone has fears and failures and insecurities and successes etc. That’s what’s right beneath the surface or right on the outside of every frame of every photo. Never forget that. Keep that perspective with you anytime another’s perceived life makes you feel less than.